Dr. Anthony Lombardi
Science & Tech • Fitness & Health
A community for Acupuncturists to learn and receive support about physical assessment, electro-acupuncture, motor point acupuncture, orthopedics, case studies, and much more.
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Keep it simple especially when talking with patients

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
-Albert Einstein

I think it's just human nature to have to complicate things. But when you're in the clinic, that is no time to be an academic or philosopher.

I've always harped on clinical results. Working in the clinic is working in the trenches so to speak. This is where the rubber meets the road. Any flowery ideas of acupuncture or Chinese medicine, all the lovely beautiful concepts and theories, they mean nothing. Results are the only thing that matters - and the treatments behind them. While many think this disparages the "art", what it actually is, is putting the patient first. I will never apologize for putting the patient above ideology that doesn't deliver results, and only serves to comfort one's ego.

I've seen so many peeps brag about what they can do. What they know, how they can "control qi", or the degrees they have. Something is always missing in this bragging though - the patient.

Learning is fun, philosophy is extremely interesting, exploring new idea is important. But in the clinic it's all about keeping it simple.

Likewise, how are you explaining things to your patients? Are you lecturing on the differences between acupuncture and dry needling? Are you over explaining how your treatments are helping them? Have you noticed they glaze over after about 30 seconds?

It's best to keep working on your scripts and saying things very direct. Give the patients what they need - results. We excel in the clinic, delivering the tools we've learned. If we're talking, we're not working (unless you can do both at the same time).

And please, keep it simple!

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What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
August 15, 2025
Foot Drop Webinar

Learn how to identify, assess, and treat foot drop in this in-depth webinar. This webinar cover causes, clinical testing, and effective treatment strategies to get patients moving again.

Comparing the ESTIM-II and the ESTIM-III

A little video I made showing why the ESTIM-II is better than the ESTIM-III.

00:02:50
July 13, 2025
Assessment & Treatment of Long Distance Runners

Here is another gem for all your mileage junkies!

September 12, 2025

Hi Doc @Exstoreman, patient presented with neck pain and twitching around scapula and tricep muscles ever since weighted seated rows at gym. The twitching is random. I’ve done exstore and cleaned up tropic changes, he had a lot between c1 to c 5 (splenus capitus). His neck is better but the twitching remains. I’ve checked for trigger points and tropic changes in the area of twitches but nothing obvious stands out. Today I went with perfusion and released neck muscles. Love your thoughts on this.

Little win!

Sharing my little win treating my own right hand texting thumb yesterday with motor points for opponens pollicis, abductor pollicis, flexor pollicis. 3 needles, 5 minutes treatment with the pointer plus, slightly/very awkwardly with my non-dominant left hand :) and 85% improved today. I have just some residual ache at the 1st MCP, ulnar side. @Exstoreman what do you think of a high frequency intraarticular treatment, or what would be a good next step to get to 100%?

September 05, 2025

@BrittLeeworthy I gotta say. You been doing some awesome work with your website with your membership section. I'm loving the structure of your plans. I haven't really seen this anywhere else.

How long did it take you to come up with this structure? I been trying to come up with a concise membership plan and what you have is awesome. Just wanted to say.

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